Sunday, October 23, 2016

The radio was shouting at you, pleading with you, and seducing you (Pathfinder)

Madness can be found in more than the broadcasts of Radio Idols. Art By: Alfred Kubin

Pictures Mangled
by Me: Any picture with this in its caption means it is a collage
I made using 19th and early 20th century illustrations. All these
illustrations are public domain, meaning I didn't rob anyone by using
these pictures for my own gains.

It begins, always,
with the setting of a strange device among a crowd. A flick of a
switch, a turn of a dial, a retreat of a smiling faceless stranger,
then the beginning. The crowd surges, hands now claws, teeth tearing
flesh, people now animals.

These horrific
receivers cast into crowds the voice of a little girl counting while
accompanied by sounds that pull at the deepest parts of the mind. It
unlocks something in people, beneath the animal, a thing that
usually reserved for serial killers and spree murderers.

Radio Idols are a
danger that many citizens face on their way about the city. If you
prepare for these hateful artifacts, you too can avoid the dangers
they present.

REMEMBER!
A prepared citizen is a safe citizen! A safe citizen is a GOOD
citizen! You want to be a GOOD
citizen, don't you?

If
you hear something, say something: Report
any instances of a young girl counting accompanied by strange sounds
to your local constabulary.

Discretion
is the better part of valor: If
you see or hear a large group trying to kill one another, DON'T
attempt to provide assistance or see what the commotion in.
Immediately flee the scene and report it to the nearest constable.

Better
to be alone than have company: If
you suddenly experience any or all of these symptoms, immediately
find a place to be alone until they pass. Once gone, report the
experience to your nearest constable. These symptoms include, but are
not limited to:

Urges to harm
yourself.

Urges to harm a
loved one.

Urges to consume
your own flesh.

Urges to consume the
flesh of a loved one.

Urges to harm a
nearby stranger.

Urges to consume the
flesh of a nearby stranger.

Urges to question
the authority of the City Works Agency.

Follow all these
recommendations and you too can be a GOOD CITIZEN.

Mirth is madness. Pictures Mangled By: Me

To understand this next part, you may wish to check out my previous post: Here.

Inter-Agency
Memorandum #236 – 17 – 8G

Sender:
City Works Contractor – Forensic Science #1786 - Q

Receiver:
[REDACTED]

As
per Agency Policy #5,013 – 81 [The Treatment and Disposal of
Liquidated Agency Contractors]: Dravok, Olivia was removed from
[REDACTED] Asylum. All witnesses have been paid a silencing fee
[Level: S-13] as well as having been made aware of the city's right
to liquidate said persons in the event they proliferate any
information concerning Dravok, Olivia.

At
03:16:17, Dravok, Olivia was to be autopsied as per previously noted
Agency Policy. City Works Contractor – Forensic Science #2099 – Z
found that Dravok, Olivia was completely missing from her storage
drawer save for the following: Facial Epidermis and Dermis, Left and
Right Supercilium (Eyebrows), Left and Right Cilium (Eyelashes), Left
and Right Oculus, and the Totality of Nasal Cartilage.

It
should be noted that her Labia Oris (Lips) were not among the remains
found in the storage drawer.

Sanctus,
I am sorry, my friend. While Delemonde is a complete dullard, he
doesn't slack in his duties. He told me that he maintained his post
outside the body-locker for the three hours her body was in it, no
individual was allowed in before the autopsy. I believe him, as I
said, he's an idiot, but a trustworthy one. Olivia Dravok is a Smiler
now... - Archibald

Author's
Note: I've
designed the Radio Idols to straddle the gaps between autonomous
construct, trap, and environment hazard. The rules for something like
this are few and far between, so I had to make them up as I went
along. If there are rules that actually cover these kinds of things,
let me know.

Mechanisms of madness. Pictures Mangled By: Me

Pathfinder
/ DnD 3.X

CR
3

800
XP

N
Tiny construct

Initiative:
+0;

Senses:
Blindsight 100 ft.; Perception –5

DEFENSE

AC:
15, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+3 Natural, +2 size)

HP:
18 (3d10)

Fort
+1, Ref +0, Will -4

Defensive
Abilities -

Hardness
10 and Construct Immunities

OFFENSE

Speed:
0 ft. (Cannot move on its own)

Special
Attacks -

Break
Knowledge:The
Radio Idol can emit a field that temporarily hinders the class
knowledge of every individual within 30 feet of it that is capable of
hearing. Those within range and capable of hearing must make a Will
save (DC 13). On a failed save: Non-Spellcasters have their To-Hit
penalized by1D4 points, Spellcasters are considered 1D4 levels lower
when figuring maximum spell levels and the number of times they are
capable of casting a spell. The effects from this ability are not
cumulative and last for 10 minutes.

Destructive
Transmission: Every
sentient being within 100 feet capable of hearing the transmission
must make a Will save (DC 13) each round they are within range. Those
that fail their save will do one of 3 things for the duration of the
round:

Behavior
–
1D3

1:
Attack
themselves with the nearest weapon at hand. For standard citizens the
damage is usually 1D3 unless they find an actual weapon.

2:
Attack
the nearest person with the nearest weapon at hand. For standard
citizens the damage is usually 1D3 unless they find an actual weapon.

3:
Scream.

For
those who attack a loved one, when they come to their senses the next
round, they become horrified at their own actions. Their next save
roll is at a -1 penalty from their mind beginning to unravel from the
guilt and horror of their own actions. These penalties are cumulative
and last for 10 minutes.

This
ability is always active, unless the Radio Idol “decides” to turn
it off for the purposes of creating greater havoc later. While not
truly sentient, it was crafted in a way that allows it to be adaptive
in its behaviors.

ECOLOGY

Environment:
Any

Organization:
solitary, pair, or Hi-Fi (3-8)

Treasure:
Concept-Fission Battery

A broken Concept-Fission Battery. Pictures Mangled By: Me

Concept-Fission
Battery: These
devices are powered by batteries that generate energy through the
gradual destruction of a particular concept. Each battery is imbued
with a particular concept, with no two batteries ever sharing the
same concept. As the concept is broken down it becomes harder and
harder for people of the world to understand, with it becoming
completely incomprehensible when the battery is finally drained.

The
more minor/inconsequential/bizarre the concept is, the smaller the
battery. If one were to make a Concept-Fission Battery out of the
concept of happiness or love, it would be incredibly powerful, and
would ruin the world when it was finally drained.

The
batteries in Radio Idols involve rather inconsequential concepts,
meaning the vast majority of the world will not miss them when they
become incomprehensible. A character may remove and break the battery
near a magical item to recharge it, restoring 1D20+30 charges.

Other
things might be possible with these batteries, but what exactly is up
to the GM.